• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.252-254
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• 2007

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.259-271
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• 1993

The distributions of bottom sediments and the depositional processes on the continental shelves of Korean Seas are interpreted. Generally the continental shelf sediments can be classified into the sand-facies and mud-facies, showing the typical bimodal size distributions Most of the sandy and gravelly sediments on the outer shelf floor are interpreted as "relict" sediments that were deposited during the last glacial times when the sea level was lower than the present. On the other hand the muddy sediments on the inner shelf area are interpreted as "recent" sediments that are deposited under the present environment conditions. It is understood that most of the fine materials cannot escape the inner shelf area due to the strong tidal and coastal fronts, and are transported eastward from the West Sea along the southern coast of Korean Peninsula. The dark-colored muddy sediments in the Hupo Basin of the East Sea are, however, considered to be "relict" sediments. In the midshelf area fine materials are mixed with the relict coarse sediments, and some of the relict sediments are continuously reworked under the present environmental conditions forming the "palimpsest" sediments.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.457-473
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• 1992

The first order wave equation over a double shelf has wind stresses on both coastal boundaries and wind stress curl forcing across the shelf. In the Yellow Sea, the effect of wind stress curl can be neglected as a forcing of shelf waves. The decay distance of Kelvin waves is much greater than that of continental shelf waves so that Kelvin waves are transmitted nearly intact through the northern embayment. The numerical method of characteristics has been modified to accomodate wave propagation of opposite directions. Using a little more realistic coastline, the wave model hindcast has been improved for current velocity, but hardly for sea level. It means that Kelvin waves, which mainly determine sea levels, are affected little by the change of bottom slope. For a better hindcast of sea level, input energy of Kelvin waves transmitted from the East China Sea is needed. The basic structure of downwind flows along the coasts and upwind flows along the trough supports the seasonal circulations driven by monsoon winds in the Yellow Sea.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 1990

Narrow (10-20 km wide) and steep (0.3-$2.4^{\circ}$) continental shelf off the eastern coast of Korea is covered with terrigenous clastic sediments reflecting the Holocene fluctuation of sea level. Surface sediments on the inner shelf consist of muddy sand and sandy mud with some gravels near the coast. However, sand or muddy sand, shell fragments and well rounded gravels occur near the edge of continental shelf at the depth of about 130-l50m. The coarse sediments near the shelf edge seem to be the relict or palimpsest sediments deposited under the nearshore environment during the low-stand or sea level due to so-called the Wisconsinan glaciation. Distribution of recent sediments near the coast and the inner shelf may reflect the affect of waves and currents precluding the deposition of fine sediment near the coast and on the shallow portion of shelf. Eastern Korean Warm Current also nay have played an important role to the transport and distribution of fine sediments from the south.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.13-23
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• 2000

The distributions of dissolved inorganic nutrient contents were investigated along transection line J (30° N) in the eastern East China Sea in December 1993 and August 1994, respectively. The concentrations of nitrate and silicate in the Kuroshio Surface Water (KSW) with high temperature and high salinity were low below 2μM and 5μM, respectively. However, these were increased sharply with depth and ranged from 20 to 40, 45 to 100μM, respectively, in the Kuroshio Intermediate Water (KIW). The relationship between temperature and nutrients suggests that Kuroshio Intermediate Water with rich nutrients were intruded into the bottom water of the outer continental shelf in the East China Sea. The bottom water of the outer continental shelf was made of two end-members mixing; nutrient depleted warm water and nutrient enriched cold water. Based on temperature, salinity and silicate concentration, the nutrients in the bottom water of the outer continental shelf suggusted to be supplied through the vertical mixing of Kuroshio subsurface water in the depth range of 100～400m. Upwelled nutrient rich water appears to be a important source of nutrients for primary production in the continental shelf area of the East China Sea.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.131-146
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• 2014

Multi-beam echosounder data and grain size analysis data of surface sediment were acquired and analyzed in order to investigate the shelf-to-slope morphology, geological character, and their geological controlling factors in the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin. According to the morphological character, the continental shelf can be divided into two parts: (1) shallow (~100 m) and steep ($0.5^{\circ}$) inner shelf, (2) deep (100-300 m) and gentle ($0.2^{\circ}$) outer shelf. The continental slope is featured with eight distinct topographic depressions of various spatial dimension (~121 $km^2$ in area) and head wall gradient (${\sim}24.3^{\circ}$). They are developed adjacent to each other and presumably formed by submarine landslides which have recurred under the strong influences of earthquakes and eustatic sea-level change. The inner continental shelf and the continental slope are dominated by fine-grained sediment, whereas the outer continental shelf is dominated by coarse-grained sediment. The surface sediment distribution seems dominantly influenced by eustatic sea-level change. The outer continental shelf is mostly covered by coarse relict sediment deposited during lowstand sea-level, while the inner shelf is covered with recent sediment during highstand sea-level. The surface of the continental slope is covered with fine-grained sediments which were supplied by hemipelagic advection process.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.369-379
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• 2003

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles and sediment data from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the late Quaternary deposits consist of a set of lowstand (LST), transgressive (TST), and highstand systems tracts (HST) that corresponds to the sea-level change after the Last Glacial Maximum. LST (Unit I) above the sequence boundary consists of sandy mud or muddy sand deposited during the last glacial period and is confined to the shelf margin and trough region. TST (Unit II) between transgressive surface and maximum flooding surface consists of sandy sediments deposited during the postglacial transgression (15,000-6,000 yr BP). Although TST is widely distributed on the shelf, it is much thinner than LST and HST. On the basis of distribution pattern, TST can be divided into three sub-units: early TST (Unit IIa) on the shelf margin, middle TST (Unit IIb) on the mid-shelf, and late TST (Unit IIc) on the inner shelf, respectively. These are characterized by a backstepping depositional arrangement. HST(Unit III) above the maximum flooding surface is composed of the fine-grained sediments deposited during the last 6000 yrs when sea level was close to the present level and its distribution is restricted to the inner shelf along the coast.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.55-61
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• 1985

Two hundred suspended-matter samples were collected from the continental shelf off the southeast coast of Korea during September, 1981, March, 1982 and April 1983. Superficial bottom sediments on the shelf were also taken. Based on the alalyses of TSM distribution and concentration patterns, it is considered that finegrained suspended matters are restricted to nearshore-inner shelf showing a band or zone paralleling with coastal morphology. This fact suggests a limitation of "modern" fine grained sediments to a nearshore and inner shelf band. The sand deposits with the lower value of mud content (<5%) adjacent to the shelf break and on the outer shelf would probably be "relict" sediments (old beach sediments) deposited in response to a lower stand of sea level during the Pleistocene ice age. The transgression did little to alter the distribution of sand on the outer shelf in this particular study area. The progress of shore line was so rapid that a given locality was in the beach zone and subject to rapid longshore drift and extensive reworking only for a few years. Probably the most pronounced effect of the transgression was sorting of the sand, and at least partial winnowing out of the finer fractions.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1995

The modal analysis was carried out for the total of 216 subface sediments of southern continental shelf of Korean peninsula. Sandy mud or muddy sand distributed in the range of 70∼100 m water depth revealed the bimodal type (sand and mud components). The relations of textural parameters obtained from every modal were consistent with those of shallow marine sediments. The characteristics of sand component between bimodal were as follows: (1) the distributions of mean grain size, sorting, shell content were repeatedly distributed like the directions of depth contour lines. (2) Sand component was composed of medium to fine sand (Mz, 1-3$\psi$) containing many shell fragments, a few pebbles, and iron-stained quartz. (3) The surface of quartz revealed the concordial breakage and V-shaped features formed at high energy environment. (4) In CM-pattern, sand component was plotted in rolling and bottom suspension area. These characteristics imply that sand component probably derives from shoreface sediments deposited at the beach environment.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.434-444
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• 1994

Physical and acoustic properties of sediment core samples recovered from the Kwangyang Bay, the Yeosu Sound, and the inner shelf of central South Sea, Korea were investigated. Compressional wave velocity, density, porosity, and shear strength were measured at 10cm interval's along the core depth. Sediment texture(grain size, sand, silt, and clay contents) were also measured and correlated with the physical properties(density, porosity, and shear strength). The physical and acoustic properties of the sediment changed gradually from the Kwangyang Bay to the shelf area in accordance with the distance from the input source of the terrigenous sediment. The Yeosu Sound acted as a route of sediment transport from the estuary(the Seomjin River) to the shelf and vice versa. The physical and acoustic properties of the Yeosu Sound sediment conformed to an intermediate stage between river mouth and shelf areas. These results can be utilized to trace the influence of the Seomjin River on the so-called mud belt of Korea.